Indicators on freedom of speech and housing affordability sink to record lows since index was launched in 2003
Quality of life in Hong Kong declined last year compared with the previous year amid a worsening political climate and an increasingly unaffordable housing market, Chinese University research has found.
The institution’s Hong Kong Quality of Life Index registered a drop of 0.17 points to reach 101.75 for last year, with indicators on freedom of speech and housing affordability sinking to record lows since the index was launched in 2003.
The housing affordability index dropped to a record low, a result indicating that housing became continuously less affordable in 2014.“Some survey respondents said they felt uncomfortable with expressing their views on issues such as the Occupy pro-democracy movement,” said sociology professor Ting Kwok-fai, referring to the worsening performance of the freedom of speech index.
READ MORE: 14 years to buy a flat: Quality of life in Hong Kong going down, shows survey
About 1,000 people were interviewed over the telephone in August last year, before the Occupy movement began on September 28, said Wong Hung, director of the Centre for Quality of Life at the university.
The housing affordability sub-index was among 11 indicators that showed a fall.
“High property prices are still bothering Hongkongers this year, but the market may begin to decline next year,” economist Chong Tai-leung said.
Compared with 2013, 11 out of the 23 indicators in the survey, including those examining air quality and the crime rate, performed better. The indicator showing public expenditure on health did not change.
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